Tuesday, August 19, 2025 - Jad Tarifi, the man who founded Google’s first generative AI team, is shaking up the education debate with a bold claim: higher education as we know it may soon be obsolete.
With Gen Z graduates already struggling to secure jobs, many
are rushing into PhDs to stand out.
But Tarifi says that might be a trap.
“By the time you finish a PhD, AI itself will have moved on
- or even been solved,” he told Business Insider.
Tarifi, who earned his own PhD in AI back in 2012, argues
that the traditional degree model can no longer keep up with the pace of
technology.
Instead of piling on more credentials, he believes students
should invest in areas that AI can’t replace - like emotional intelligence,
creativity, and building meaningful human connections.
“Thriving in the future won’t come from collecting
diplomas,” he told Fortune.
“It will come from cultivating unique perspectives,
self-awareness, and strong bonds with others.”
He even went as far as to suggest that long pathways like
medicine and law may no longer be worth the time.
“What you learn in medical school is already outdated,”
Tarifi added.
Tech leaders from Mark Zuckerberg to Sam Altman have echoed
similar concerns in the past.
Zuckerberg recently questioned whether colleges prepare
students for today’s job market, while Altman claimed GPT-5 already performs at
“PhD level.”
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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